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Cake Candle Project

By Bob Sherman

This is another article revived from my 1998 archives due to increased interest in rustic and primitive candle styles lately. It has been modernized and rewritten to match its new home at One Stop Candle. This is a very simple, fun technique that provides a heavily textured candle. This technique provides a texture reminiscent cake frosting, hence the name cake candles.

These are easy to make but may take a bit of practice to get perfect results each time. This is also a great technique for your "cosmetically challenged" candles as it will hide any blemishes. The nice thing about this is that you can go over the candle as much as needed to obtain the desired effect.

Most of the items you may need can be ordered directly from this page for your convenience. The Materials list is at the bottom of the page.

PLEASE NOTE!! - Candle making can be dangerous if proper safety procedures are not followed. Please read these Safety Rules before attempting any candle making projects.

You will also need to know basic candle making skills before beginning. Basic pillar candle making can be learned in our free Introduction To Candle Making Course.

Wax Formula
This candle uses our basic pillar candle formula. Note that this formula makes a nice white wax without adding dye, however these look best when made with dark colors.

1 pound of 140 melt point paraffin wax
1 level teaspoon of Vybar 103
1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) of scent oil - optional
Dye as needed

Instructions

This technique uses a basic pillar candle so prepare a pillar candle of your choice. If you are new to candle making, my free Introduction To Candle Making Course will explain in detail how to make pillar candles safely.
Once you have your pillar candle, melt some wax in the same color. Note that this technique tends to wash out the color a bit, so start with a darker shade than you actually want.
Bring the wax to at least 170 degrees F. to allow the dye to dissolve, then remove it from the heat.
One the wax has cooled enough for a surface film to form, it is time to start whipping the wax. An electric blender is much easier for this, although you can do it manually with a whisk.
The whipping process will take approximately 15 - 20 minutes from this stage. Whip the wax, let it sit for a few minutes, whip some more, let it sit, etc... Repeat until you can pick up a nice amount of frothy wax with the brush. Note that the consistency used for this is largely a matter of personal preference so experiment a bit.
Optional, but recommended - Dip the candle in the wax.and hold for 30 seconds. This will help the whipped wax adhere better since wax sticks best to warm wax.
Dip the brush and apply the whipped wax to the candle with a dabbing motion. Generally you will want to work one area until the wax grabs well before moving to the next area.
Dip the brush after every couple dabs.
Continue applying wax until the you are satisfied with the texture and the candle is covered with texture.

Candle Making Supplies And Materials

The following candle making supplies and other materials were used to make this candle. Clicking on the item name will bring you to that item's page with a full description.

Item	Amount Used
Mold	Any style of your choice, however I recommend a metal or seamless 3 inch diameter round.
140 MP paraffin Wax	Enough to make as many candles as desired.
Vybar 103	Used at 1 teaspoon per pound of wax.
Dye Blocks or Dye Flakes	In the desired colors.
Scent Oil	Optional - used at 1 ounce per pound of wax.
Wick	For a 3 inch candle I use a #1 square braid wick. If you are using a different size or different ingredients you may need a different wick.
Melting / Pouring Pot	One
Thermometer	One
Brush	An old, worn house painting brush works best and my preferred size is 3 to 4 inches wide. The more worn and splayed out it is, the better the brush will work for this technique. Note that it should have natural hair or nylon since cheap synthetic bristles may melt from the hot wax.
Blender or Whisk	An electric hand blender or a whisk will be needed to whip the wax. You will not want to use this for food afterwards so try to find one at a thrift shop or garage sale.
Old Pots	For making double boilers. One per color. Find at garage sales or thrift shops.
Wooden Spoon, Measuring Spoons.	Purchase at a house wares store or a dollar store.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common candle making practices as of the time of this writing - March 2006. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This article is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

This article is provided free of charge for use. Candles may be made and sold using this design royalty free, however no portion of this article may be reproduced for publication elsewhere without express permission from Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc. with the following exceptions:

Non profit organizations such as religious groups, scouts, 4h, etc... may use this information without permission for printed materials provided it is used without modification and credit is given to both the author and onestopcandle.com
Reprinting to the web is prohibited without permission, however web sites wishing to link to this article may do so without permission.

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